Introduction

Abstract

The introductory chapter to A New Narrative for Psychology, “What’s the Problem?,” frames the conceptual crisis in contemporary psychology. It argues that, in large measure, the discipline does not speak to the fundamental problems of human psychology concerning interpretation, experience, and meaning due to a pervasive belief that such questions cannot be researched “scientifically.” Instead, psychologists rely on a narrow definition of science that dictates the measurement and statistical analysis of psychological variables and avoids essential questions about human nature. It traces the historical origins and epistemological status of the psychological variable and introduces the profound implications that the decision to enforce methodological uniformity has had on the field.